Prenatal influences on postnatal neuroplasticity: Integrating DOHaD and sensitive/critical period frameworks to understand biological embedding in early development.

Early environments can have significant and lasting effects on brain, body, and behavior across the lifecourse. Here, we address current research efforts to understand how experiences impact neurodevelopment with a new perspective integrating two well-known conceptual frameworks - the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) and sensitive/critical period frameworks. Specifically, we consider how prenatal experiences characterized in the DOHaD model impact two key neurobiological mechanisms of sensitive/critical periods for adapting to and learning from the postnatal environment. We draw from both animal and human research to summarize the current state of knowledge on how particular prenatal substance exposures (psychoactive substances and heavy metals) and nutritional profiles (protein-energy malnutrition and iron deficiency) each differentially impact brain circuits' excitation/GABAergic inhibition balance and myelination. Finally, we highlight new research directions that emerge from this integrated framework, including testing how prenatal environments alter sensitive/critical period timing and learning and identifying potential promotional/buffering prenatal exposures to impact postnatal sensitive/critical periods. We hope this integrative framework considering prenatal influences on postnatal neuroplasticity will stimulate new research to understand how early environments have lasting consequences on our brains, behavior, and health.

Telehealth delivery of modified attachment and biobehavioral catch-up: feasibility, acceptability, and lessons learned.

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated dramatic shifts in the delivery and evaluation of attachment-based home-visiting services. The pandemic disrupted a pilot randomized clinical trial of modified Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (mABC), an attachment-based intervention adapted for pregnant and peripartum mothers with opioid use disorders. We transitioned from in-person to telehealth delivery of mABC and modified Developmental Education for Families, an active comparison intervention targeting healthy development. Of 40 mothers then enrolled in study interventions, 30 participated in telehealth, completing an average of 4.7 remote sessions each (SD = 3.0; range = 1-11). Following the transition to telehealth, 52.5% of randomized cases and 65.6% of mothers maintaining custody completed study interventions, comparable to pre-pandemic rates. Overall, telehealth delivery was feasible and acceptable, and mABC parents coaches' ability to observe and comment on attachment-relevant parenting behaviors was preserved. Two mABC case studies are presented and lessons learned for future telehealth implementation of attachment-based interventions are discussed. .

Adapting psychophysiological data collection for COVID-19: The "Virtual Assessment" model.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted research activities globally. Researchers need safe and creative procedures to resume data collection, particularly for projects evaluating infant mental health interventions. Remote research is uniquely challenging for psychophysiological data collection, which typically requires close contact between researchers and participants as well as technical equipment frequently located in laboratory settings. In accordance with public health guidance, we adapted procedures and developed novel protocols for a "virtual assessment" in which women and infants provided behavioral and psychophysiological data from their own homes while researchers coordinated remotely. Data collected at virtual visits included video-recorded parent-child interactions and autonomic nervous system data. Adaptations were designed to optimize safety and data quality while minimizing participant burden. In the current paper, we describe these adaptations and present data evaluating their success across two sites in the United States (University of Delaware and University of Utah), focusing specifically on autonomic nervous system data collected during the well-validated Still-Face Paradigm (SFP). We also discuss advantages and challenges of translating traditional lab procedures into the virtual assessment model. Ultimately, we hope that disseminating these procedures will help other researchers resume safe data collection related to infant mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

La pandemia del COVID-19 ha interrumpido significativamente las actividades de investigación globalmente. Los investigadores necesitan procedimientos seguros y creativos para reasumir la recolección de información, particularmente para proyectos con los que se evalúan intervenciones de salud mental infantil. La investigación remota es particularmente desafiante para recoger información psicofisiológica, lo cual típicamente requiere contacto cercano entre investigadores y participantes, así como también equipo técnico frecuentemente localizado en centros de laboratorio. De acuerdo con las directrices de salud pública, adaptamos procedimientos y desarrollamos protocolos novedosos para una "evaluación virtual," en la cual mujeres e infantes aportaron datos de conducta y psicofisiológicos desde sus propias casas mientras que los investigadores coordinaban remotamente. La información recogida en las visitas virtuales incluyó interacciones progenitor-niño grabadas en video e información del sistema nervioso autónomo. Se diseñaron las adaptaciones para optimizar la seguridad y la calidad de la información mientras que se reducía al mínimo la carga que conlleva la participación. En el presente estudio, describimos estas adaptaciones y presentamos información evaluativa del éxito en dos lugares de Estados Unidos (la Universidad de Delaware y la Universidad de Utah), con enfoque específico en la información obtenida acerca del sistema nervioso autónomo durante el ya bien validado Paradigma del Rostro Inmóvil. Discutimos también las ventajas y retos para transferir los procedimientos tradicionales de laboratorio al modelo de evaluación virtual. En última instancia, esperamos que al diseminar estos procedimientos ayudaremos a otros investigadores a reasumir la segura recolección de información relacionada con la salud mental infantil durante la pandemia del COVID-19 y posteriormente.

La pandémie du COVID-19 a perturbé de manière importante les activités de recherche au niveau global. Les chercheurs ont besoin de procédures sûres et créatives pour reprendre la collecte de données, particulièrement pour des projets évaluant des interventions en santé mentale du nourrisson. Les recherches à distance présentent un défi unique pour la collecte de données psychophysiologiques, qui typiquement exige un contact proche entre les chercheurs et les participants ainsi qu'un équipement technique fréquemment situé en contextes de laboratoire. En accord avec les directives de santé publique nous avons adapté les procédures et développés de nouveaux protocoles pour une « évaluation virtuelle ¼ durant laquelle les femmes et les bébés ont présenté des données comportementales et psychophysiologiques depuis leurs propres domiciles alors que les chercheurs coordonnaient le tout à distance. Les données recueillies durant les visites virtuelles ont inclus des interactions parent-enfant enregistrées à la vidéo et des données liées au système nerveux autonome. Les adaptations ont été conçues afin d'optimiser la sécurité et la qualité des données tout en minimisant le fardeau pour les participants. Dans cet article nous décrivons ces adaptations et présentons les données évaluant leur succès au travers de deux sites aux Etats-Unis (University of Delaware et University of Utah), en s'attachant plus spécifiquement aux données sur le système nerveux autonome obtenues durant le Paradigme de Visage Inexpressif, qui est bien validé. Nous discutons également les avantages et des défis qu'il y a à traduire des procédures traditionnelles de laboratoire en un modèle d'évaluation virtuel. Finalement nous espérons que le fait de disséminer ces procédures aidera d'autres chercheurs à reprendre de manière sûre la collecte de données liées à la santé mentale du nourrisson durant la pandémie du COVID-19 et plus loin.

Longitudinal effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on visual neurodevelopment over infancy.

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) affects neurodevelopment in over 59 million individuals globally. Prior studies using dichotomous categorization of alcohol use and comorbid substance exposures provide limited knowledge of how prenatal alcohol specifically impacts early human neurodevelopment. In this longitudinal cohort study from Cape Town, South Africa, PAE is measured continuously-characterizing timing, dose, and drinking patterns (i.e., binge drinking). High-density electroencephalography (EEG) during a visual-evoked potential (VEP) task was collected from infants aged 8 to 52 weeks with prenatal exposure exclusively to alcohol and matched on sociodemographic factors to infants with no substance exposure in utero. First trimester alcohol exposure related to altered timing of the P1 VEP component over the first 6 months postnatally, and first trimester binge drinking exposure altered timing of the P1 VEP components such that increased exposure was associated with longer VEP latencies while increasing age was related to shorter VEP latencies (n = 108). These results suggest alcohol exposure in the first trimester may alter visual neurodevelopmental timing in early infancy. Exploratory individual-difference analysis across infants with and without PAE tested the relation between VEP latencies and myelination for a subsample of infants with usable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T1w and T2w scans collected at the same time point as EEG (n = 47). Decreased MRI T1w/T2w ratios (an indicator of myelin) in the primary visual cortex (n = 47) were linked to longer P1 VEP latencies. Results from these two sets of analyses suggest that prenatal alcohol and postnatal myelination may both separately impact VEP latency over infancy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).